A Fiery Stew
You can't go wrong adding spice to your musical palate with Grammy award winning conga master, Poncho Sanchez. His vibrant rhythms and warm personality have made him one of the most influential conga players and percussionists in the world.
Born in Laredo, Texas, the 11th child in a large Mexican-American family, Poncho grew up in a suburb of L.A. with a cross-section of cultural and musical influences. He was deeply affected by the music he heard in the Latino neighborhood in which he lived and his musical taste jelled into an undying love for a fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms, straight ahead and Latin jazz and American soul music. By the time he was a teenager he had responded enthusiastically to the sounds of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Wilson Pickett and James Brown and began playing with a series of junior high school and high school rhythm and blues bands. His instruments included guitar, flute, drums and timbales, but Poncho's love for the congas won his life-long devotion. Teaching himself to play congas, he spent hours practicing to Caj Tjader, Machito, and Tito Puente records. He was also profoundly moved by the hard bop sounds of the Jazz Crusaders.
At 24, after working his way around the local club scene for several years, he landed a permanent spot in his idol, vibraphonist Cal Tjader's band in 1975. Sanchez remained with Tjader until the bandleader's death in 1982. That same year, he signed with Concord for the release of "Sonando," an album that marked the beginning of a musical career that has spanned more than 25 years and has yielded more than two dozen recordings.
In addition to recording as a soloist, Sanchez has been featured on albums by the Jazz Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Freddie Hubbard, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Dianne Reeves, Joey DeFrancesco and Terence Blanchard.
After more than two decades in music, Sanchez's efforts paid off when his album, "Latin Soul," received a Grammy award as Best Latin Album of 1999. Throughout the next decade, Sanchez continued to record, releasing such albums as 2000's "Soul of the Conga," 2001's "Latin Spirits," 2003's "Out of Sight!," 2005's "Do It!," 2007's "Raise Your Hand," and 2009's hard bop-influenced "Psychedelic Blues."
Poncho's influences are numerous, but among the more prominent figures that inspire his music are two of the primary architects of Latin jazz: conga drummer and composer Chano Pozo and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. In 2011 Sanchez paid tribute to these two giants by teaming up with trumpeter Terence Blanchard for "Chano y Dizzy!" his newest release and 25th recording as a bandleader on Concord Picante. Find out more about the electrifying Poncho Sanchez and check out his touring schedule to see when he's performing near you. It's on his website here.
